The Tasmanian Liberals received $4.1 million in donations in 2017-18, including hundreds of thousands from poker machine groups. The Liberal Party did not declare where $3 million in donations came from because they were below the reportable threshold of $13,800. The Australian Electoral Commission’s annual disclosures showed that in the period which included the March 2018 election, the Liberals received nearly four times that of the Labor Party who got $1,128, 447 and nearly 10 times that of the Greens who received $424,806 in donations. The release of the disclosures has re-ignited the row over Tasmania’s political donation disclosure laws which Labor and the Greens say are the worst in Australia. It has also prompted the national Alliance for Gambling Reform to call for a ban on political donations by licenced gambling operators Premier Will Hodgman reiterated that the government had initiated a comprehensive review of the State’s electoral law. “Tasmanians should not be fooled by the absurd claims from those that were not successful at the election,” Mr Hodgman said. “We have initiated a comprehensive review of the State’s electoral law and encourage all Tasmanians with an interest to participate in the consultation that is currently underway.” Labor’s legal spokeswoman Ella Haddad said Tasmanians would never know the source of more than $3 million in donations to the Liberal Party during the election campaign. “Tasmania has some of the worst transparency in the nation around political donations,” Ms Haddad said. “Until third parties are required to declare how much they spend during Tasmanian elections the public will never know who is paying for influence in the electoral process.” Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said there was a lack of transparency around political donations. “There’s a whole lot of dark money that isn’t known about that hasn’t been declared,” she said, “It’s no secret vast sums of corporate money were funnelled in to supporting the Liberals via third parties, such as the dishonest ‘Love your Local’ campaign.” The AEC returns showed that Liberal donors included the Tasmanian Hospitality Association $160,000 Kalis Hospitality $70,000, Goodstone Group $80,000, Federal Group $50,000, EBC Leisure $44,000 and Zest in Launcetson $118,159. In 2014 the THA donated $20,000 to the Liberals. Labor’s biggest donors in 2017-18 were all unions including the CFMEU $146,425 and HACSU $44,260. Liberal Party director Sam McQuestin said the AEC figures should “end once and for all the pathetic claims from Labor and the Greens that they were ‘robbed’ of the last election”. “More than 85 percent of contributions received by the Liberal Party had nothing to do with gaming related interests,” he said. “The vast majority of contributions received by the Liberal Party were from thousands of small business people and families who just did not want to see another disastrous Labor/Green minority Government.” Labor Party state secretary Stuart Benson said Labor believed the current disclosure laws needed “serious reform”. “The Labor Party has been arguing for reform regarding political disclosure at both the state and federal level for some time,” Mr Benson said. “At the state level, Tasmanian Labor has been participating in Electoral Act Review where we have been arguing for a disclosure threshold of $1000 for candidates, political parties, real time disclosure of donations and expenditure caps.” THA chief executive Steve Old said the figures showed the THA donated $269,750 to the Liberals. “The THA makes no apology for standing up for its members and the jobs of those they employ during the 2018 State Election campaign,” Mr Old said. “We are proud to have represented our members, many of whom are family run businesses who employ many thousands of people in Tasmania. “During and since the election result we have been subject to a vicious and dishonest campaign claiming we bankrolled the Liberal Party in Tasmania to the tune of $5 million, which is quite clearly a lie.” Tim Costello from the gambling reform alliance said Australia would not begin to address the world’s worst levels of gambling harm until the political funding tap was “completely turned off” “The most shocking revelations were clearly in Tasmania where the pokies industry effectively bought the election by spending millions defeating Labor’s plan to remove pokies from pubs and clubs,” Mr Costello said. “We now know that the Tasmanian Liberals received at least $603,000 in direct donations from pokies’ industry participants for its re-election campaign but we still have no disclosure of the amount spent by the likes of Federal Group and the Tasmanian division of the AHA conducting their own third party campaigns.”

Donations to Tasmania’s political parties revealed

The Tasmanian Liberals received $4.1 million in donations in 2017-18, including hundreds of thousands from poker machine groups.

The Liberal Party did not declare where $3 million in donations came from because they were below the reportable threshold of $13,800.

The Australian Electoral Commission’s annual disclosures showed that in the period which included the March 2018 election, the Liberals received nearly four times that of the Labor Party who got $1,128, 447 and nearly 10 times that of the Greens who received $424,806 in donations.

The release of the disclosures has re-ignited the row over Tasmania’s political donation disclosure laws which Labor and the Greens say are the worst in Australia.

It has also prompted the national Alliance for Gambling Reform to call for a ban on political donations by licenced gambling operators

Premier Will Hodgman reiterated that the government had initiated a comprehensive review of the State’s electoral law.

“Tasmanians should not be fooled by the absurd claims from those that were not successful at the election,” Mr Hodgman said.

“We have initiated a comprehensive review of the State’s electoral law and encourage all Tasmanians with an interest to participate in the consultation that is currently underway.”

Labor’s legal spokeswoman Ella Haddad said Tasmanians would never know the source of more than $3 million in donations to the Liberal Party during the election campaign.

“Tasmania has some of the worst transparency in the nation around political donations,” Ms Haddad said.

“Until third parties are required to declare how much they spend during Tasmanian elections the public will never know who is paying for influence in the electoral process.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said there was a lack of transparency around political donations.

“There’s a whole lot of dark money that isn’t known about that hasn’t been declared,” she said,

“It’s no secret vast sums of corporate money were funnelled in to supporting the Liberals via third parties, such as the dishonest ‘Love your Local’ campaign.”

Labor’s biggest donors in 2017-18 were all unions including the CFMEU $146,425 and HACSU $44,260.

Liberal Party director Sam McQuestin said the AEC figures should “end once and for all the pathetic claims from Labor and the Greens that they were ‘robbed’ of the last election”.

“More than 85 percent of contributions received by the Liberal Party had nothing to do with gaming related interests,” he said.

“The vast majority of contributions received by the Liberal Party were from thousands of small business people and families who just did not want to see another disastrous Labor/Green minority Government.”

Labor Party state secretary Stuart Benson said Labor believed the current disclosure laws needed “serious reform”.

“The Labor Party has been arguing for reform regarding political disclosure at both the state and federal level for some time,” Mr Benson said.

“At the state level, Tasmanian Labor has been participating in Electoral Act Review where we have been arguing for a disclosure threshold of $1000 for candidates, political parties, real time disclosure of donations and expenditure caps.”

THA chief executive Steve Old said the figures showed the THA donated $269,750 to the Liberals.

“The THA makes no apology for standing up for its members and the jobs of those they employ during the 2018 State Election campaign,” Mr Old said.

“We are proud to have represented our members, many of whom are family run businesses who employ many thousands of people in Tasmania.

“During and since the election result we have been subject to a vicious and dishonest campaign claiming we bankrolled the Liberal Party in Tasmania to the tune of $5 million, which is quite clearly a lie.”

Tim Costello from the gambling reform alliance said Australia would not begin to address the world’s worst levels of gambling harm until the political funding tap was “completely turned off”

“The most shocking revelations were clearly in Tasmania where the pokies industry effectively bought the election by spending millions defeating Labor’s plan to remove pokies from pubs and clubs,” Mr Costello said.

“We now know that the Tasmanian Liberals received at least $603,000 in direct donations from pokies’ industry participants for its re-election campaign but we still have no disclosure of the amount spent by the likes of Federal Group and the Tasmanian division of the AHA conducting their own third party campaigns.”